Baby in ICU, father charged with assault

Friday

Nov 16, 2012 at 12:13 PMNov 16, 2012 at 4:09 PM

A six-week-old Chillicothe infant is in the intensive care unit at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City with severe head and facial trauma, and his father is behind bars, accused of causing those injuries. Timothy Kene Orr, 21, of Chillicothe, was charged Tuesday with child abuse, and is being held in Livingston County Jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond. The charge was elevated to felony assault in the first degree today (Friday) for allegedly angrily shaking the baby and causing serious physical injuries to the infant.
Authorities say the injuries are still life-threatening, and the infant is listed in critical condition and remains on a ventilator.
The statement of probable cause filed with the prosecutor states that the injuries occurred when the baby's mother left the house in the 400 block of Vine Street for a doctor's appointment, as a follow-up from her pregnancy. She left the child in the care of Orr. Upon her return about 90 minutes later, she discovered the infant acting abnormally, with bruising to his face, head, and shoulders. She and Orr took the baby to Hedrick Medical Center. The hospital contacted police to report a child with possible signs of abuse. The baby was transported by air ambulance to Children's Mercy Hospital.
Orr initially told police the infant had fallen from the kitchen counter top into the sink while he left the room, and left him unattended to retrieve a towel for bathing. Orr later confessed to shaking the baby while he was angry and frustrated because the baby was crying uncontrollably, and said that he did not know what to do.
According to the statement of probable cause, medical officials provided the following information as of today (Friday).
• The child received obvious blunt force trauma from multiple planes;
• The swelling of the brain is evolving, progressively becoming worse.
• It will take a couple of days to judge further progression or digression;
• The child has signs of hypoxia, oxygen has been cut off from the brain for an unknown period of time;
• Child is on an incubator at the present time;
• Child's blood pressure continues to bottom out at times
• Obvious bruising of face, shoulder and abdomen;
• Brain is continuing to bleed;
• Child has suffered a severe neurological impact.

It is believed by medical staff that the child will have permanent brain damage as a result of injuries.
Orr reportedly has a history of physical abuse. At the time of his arrest, it was learned that he also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from the Raymore (Mo.) Police Department, for possession of marijuana.